Roll holder

ABSTRACT

A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holder comprising a patch formed of paper, cloth, or thin plastic sheet, having an adhesive surface, cordage for insertion through the core secured to the patch. The assembly of the patch and cordage is capable of suspending the roll by adhesion of the patch to a surface. The cordage forms two legs which can be secured to the patch. Alternatively, one end of one leg of the cordage is fixed at a distal point below the patch to the other leg, the end of which is secured to the patch. The adhesive can be covered by a release sheet.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a roll holder such as for toilet paper or aroll of absorbent sheet material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A very wide variety of holders are known to facilitate the dispensing ofroll paper such as toilet paper or a kitchen roll of paper orwater-absorbent material. These include wall mounted devices andstand-alone devices. Wall mounted devices are connected to a wall andinclude spring loaded telescopic cores held between mounts that extendfrom a wall, and U-shaped metal rods that extend from a wall eitherhorizontally or formed as an upright. Some of the holders are mainlyfunctional while others are designer holders providing a bathroom orkitchen highlight for what otherwise would be a pedestrian device. Adesigner roll holder sold by Vandiss as the Diabolo Toilet Paper Holder(http://shop.gessato.com/diabolo-toilet-paper-holder-by-vandiss.html)uses a pulley mounted on a wall. Nautical rope is threaded through thehollow cylindrical core of a roll of toilet paper and is wrapped aroundthe hub of the pulley to suspend the toilet paper. The toilet paperholder derives its mode of operation from the juggling toy that consistsof a top in the form of a deep pulley balanced across a string. It issecured against the wall by use of adhesive applied to both the wall andto the back of the pulley, using heat such as from a hair blowerfollowed by curing for 72 hours. A significant purpose of such a pulleyholder is ornamental as are many of the various designer paper rollholders.

When a person needing the use of toilet paper or absorbent paper is notin a home having a bathroom or kitchen, for example when camping or whenthe person is homeless or living in meager or rundown housing, then theonly recourse is to carry tissue paper or an unsupported paper roll. Theuse of a stand-alone device is not practical as it would be burdensometo carry such a device, and wall mounted devices of the prior art suchas the afore-described pulley holder are not feasible. There is a needfor a paper holder that can readily be mounted on the wall of a tent oron a wall that is too thin to support the usual holder or which cannotbe drilled into, or even on a wall under an overpass that often servesas a shelter for homeless people. Such a holder must be simple andinexpensive yet must provide the convenience of a fully functional wallmounted paper roll holder.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides such a holder in the form of cordage thatis inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of a roll of toiletpaper or roll of absorbent sheet material forming two legs and suspendedfrom a wall by means of a suction cup to which the cordage is fixed. Inone embodiment, the two legs of the cordage can be joined at their endsand at its juncture secured to the suction cup. In another embodiment,one end of one leg of the cordage is fixed at a distal point below thepatch to the other leg, the end of which is secured to the suction cup.Fixing can be by knotting or by fusion and can be overlaid within aplastic sleeve. The cord constituting the cordage can be formed ofstring, cable, braiding such as braided thread, lace, lanyard, or twine.It can be a single cord or be formed of multiple cords. The holder canbe provided independent of the roll it is to support, or it can beprovided already inserted through the core of the roll with the ends ofthe cordage secured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference isnow made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, in which the broken lines are for the purpose ofillustrating a roll of paper carried by the holder and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing a clearplastic release sheet carried on an adhesive layer;

FIG. 3B is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A with the clearplastic release sheet removed exposing the adhesive layer;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a front plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10A is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8, showing aclear plastic release sheet carried on an adhesive layer;

FIG. 10B is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 10A with theclear plastic release sheet removed exposing the adhesive layer;

FIG. 11 is a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of a third embodiment of theinvention, using two patches as the holder, each patch being the same asthe patch of FIGS. 1-3 and 8-10;

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a fourth embodiment of theinvention, using two suction cups as the holder;

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of a fifth embodiment of theinvention, using a single suction cup as the holder;

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the suction cup and cord used inFIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the suction cup and cord of FIG.18;

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of a sixth embodiment of theinvention, using a single suction cup as the holder;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the suction cup and cord of FIG.20;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of one version of a seventhembodiment similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 but in which thecordage is inserted through a roller in the form of a tube and whichitself is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of the paperroll;

FIG. 23 is a front perspective view of a second version of a seventhembodiment similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 15 but in whichthe cordage is inserted through a roller identical to the roller shownin FIG. 22 and which itself is inserted through the hollow cylindricalcore of the paper roll;

FIG. 24 is a cross-section of the roller depicted in FIG. 23 taken online A-A of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25A depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to a wall;

FIG. 25B depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to tent material;

FIG. 25C depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to thin plastic sheeting;

FIG. 25D depicts the holder of FIG. 17 adhered to a wall;

FIG. 26A depicts a prior art holder designed to mount a pulley onto awall with a nautical rope threaded through the hollow cylindrical coreof a roll of toilet paper and wrapped around the hub of the pulley tosuspend the toilet paper;

FIG. 26B depicts a close-up of the pulley region of the holder of FIG.26A; and

FIG. 26C is the instruction sheet for the holder of FIG. 26A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 26 A-C depict a designer roll holder, and its instruction sheet,sold by Vandiss as the Diabolo Toilet Paper Holder(http://shop.gessato.com/diabolo-toilet-paper-holder-by-vandiss.html)that suspends a roll of toilet paper on a length of nautical rope thatis threaded through the hollow cylindrical core of a roll of toiletpaper and is wrapped around the hub of a pulley to suspend the toiletpaper. The pulley is mounted on a wall using adhesive applied to boththe wall and to the back of the pulley. Because of the weight of thepulley added to the weight of the roll, mounting requires using heatsuch as from a hair blower followed by curing for 72 hours.

FIGS. 1-7 depict a first embodiment of the invention in which a roll ofpaper, illustrated by a roll of toilet paper 10 is suspended by cordage12. The cordage 12 is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core 14 ofthe roll of toilet paper or roll of absorbent sheet material forming twolegs 16, 18 but rather than being wound about a pulley or other devicethat needs to be fixed with hardware to a wall, the present inventionutilizes an adhesive patch 20 to which the ends 22, 24 of the cordage 12are secured, as shown in FIG. 3B and to secure the cordage 12 to a wallor other support.

The patch 20 is a piece of material of any convenient shape, square,triangular, circular or the like formed of paper, cloth or thin (i.e.,less than 0.3 cm thick) plastic sheet, having adhesive 26 on a side asshown in FIG. 3B. The adhesive 26 can be covered by a release sheet 28,which can be opaque or clear, and may carry printing on its outer side.Such printing can be a design or text or a combination thereof and canbe a logographic for the company manufacturing the holder or a thirdparty to generate advertising revenue. The release sheet 28 can be ofclear plastic, as shown, of paper or other material. As shown in FIG.3B, the ends of the cordage 22, 24 can be fixed to the patch 20 by theadhesive 26. Alternatively, or in addition, the ends 22, 24 of thecordage can be sewn to the patch 20 or, if the cordage 12 and patch 20are of plastic material, they can be fused together.

Referring to FIG. 8-14, a second embodiment is depicted wherein one endof one leg 16′ of the cordage 12′ is fixed to the other leg 18′ at adistal point 30 below the patch 20, the end 22′ of the leg 16′ beingsecured to the patch 20. Fixing can be by knotting or by fusion and canbe overlaid within a plastic sleeve 32.

Referring to FIG. 15, a third embodiment is depicted using two patches20 as the holder fixed to opposite ends of cordage 38. Each patch 20 isthe same as the patch referred to in FIGS. 1-3 and 8-10.

Referring to FIG. 16, a fourth embodiment is depicted using two suctioncups 34 as the holder fixed to opposite ends of the cordage 38 of FIG.15.

Referring to FIG. 17, a fifth embodiment is depicted using a singlesuction cup 34 fixed to the top end of cordage 18′ that, other than theholder, is the same as used in the second embodiment shown in FIGS.8-10;

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, depicted is, respectively, a close-up ofthe suction cup 34 and its cross-section. The cordage 18′ is passedthrough an opening 36 in the neck 38 of the suction cup 34. In FIG. 18the cordage is shown extending upwardly of the neck opening 36 after itis tied in a knot 40. In FIG. 19, the cordage 18′ is pulled down so thatthe knot 40 is secured against the neck 38 of the suction cup 34.

Referring to FIG. 20, a sixth embodiment is depicted using a singlesuction cup 34 fixed to the top end of cordage 18 that, other than theholder, is the same as used in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 1-3.

Referring to FIG. 21, a cross-section of the suction cup 34 is depictedwith the two ends of the cordage 18 passed through the opening 36 in theneck 38 of the suction cup 34 and knotted together to form a knot 42pulled down so that the knot 40 is secured against the neck 38 of thesuction cup 34.

The suction cup is a device that uses the negative pressure of air toadhere to a nonporous surface, creating a partial vacuum. The workingface of the suction cup has a curved surface 44 and is made of elastic,flexible material, such as rubber, natural or synthetic, or a polymerwith sufficient elastic properties.

Referring to FIG. 22, there is shown one version of a seventh embodimentthat is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 but in which thecordage is inserted through a roller 46 in the form of a tube and whichitself is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of the paperroll;

Referring to FIG. 23, there is shown a second version of the seventhembodiment that is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 15 but inwhich the cordage is inserted through a roller 46 which is identical tothe roller 46 shown in FIG. 22 and which itself is inserted through thehollow cylindrical core of the paper roll;

Illustrating use of the holder of this invention adhered respectively toa wall, tent material, and thin plastic sheeting, FIG. 25A depicts theholder of FIG. 15 adhered to a wall, FIG. 25B depicts the holder of FIG.15 adhered to tent material, FIG. 25C depicts the holder of FIG. 15adhered to thin plastic sheeting, and FIG. 25D depicts the holder ofFIG. 17 adhered to a wall.

FIG. 24 is a cross-section of the roller depicted in FIG. 22 taken online A-A of FIG. 22;

The cordage 12 or 12′ can be formed of string, cable, braiding such asbraided thread, lace, lanyard, twine, or cord or any other suitablematerial.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with thepreferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications andvariations may be utilized without departing from the principles andscope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readilyunderstand. Accordingly, such modifications may be practiced within thescope of the following claims.

1. A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheetmaterial, the holder being constructed to have one side mountable to asurface, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holdercomprising one or more suction cups; and cordage capable of beinginserted through the roll core and secured to each suction cup, eachcordage-suction cup assembly being capable of supporting the rollsuspended by the cordage by adhesion of the suction cup to said surface.2. The holder of claim 1 wherein the holder comprises two suction cups,the cordage having two legs extending from the supported roll, each legbeing secured at its end to one of two suction cups.
 3. The holder ofclaim 1 wherein one end of one leg of the cordage is fixed to the otherleg at a distal point below the suction cup, the end of which is securedto the suction cup.
 4. The holder of claim 1 wherein the cordage has twolegs extending from the supported roll, both legs being secured at theirends to a suction cup.
 5. An assembly of a roll of toilet paper or aroll of absorbent sheet material and a holder for the roll, the holderbeing constructed to have one side mountable to a surface, the rollhaving a hollow cylindrical core, the assembly comprising one or moresuction cups and cordage capable of being inserted through the paperroll core and secured to the one or more suction cups, the assemblycapable of supporting the roll suspended by the cordage by adhesion ofthe one or more suction cups to said surface.
 6. The assembly of claim5, wherein the surface to which the holder is to be mounted is a wall.7. A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheetmaterial, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holdercomprising one or more suction cups; and cordage capable of beinginserted through the roll core and secured to each suction cup, thecordage-suction cup assembly being capable of supporting the rollsuspended by the cordage by adhesion of the suction cup to a surfacecapable of supporting the roll and cordage by the suction of the suctioncup.
 8. The holder of claim 1 including a roller in the form of a tubethrough which the cordage can be inserted, the tube being capable ofinsertion through the paper roll core.
 9. A holder for a roll of toiletpaper or a roll of absorbent sheet material, the holder beingconstructed to have one side mountable to a surface, the paper rollhaving a hollow cylindrical core, the holder comprising one or moresuction cups; and a roller in the form of a tube and cordage disposed ordisposable through the roller tube, the tube being capable of beinginserted through the roll core, the cordage secured to each suction cup,whereby to support the paper roll suspended by the cordage by adhesionof suction cup to said surface.